If your little one has been as keen as mine this year for collecting conkers and other autumnal nature find, then you probably have tonnes of them around the house - just like we do! I can't blame him... there's something so wonderful about conkers. But it was what to do with them all? Turns out... we've already used them in so many ways for play over the past month. Here's what we've done so far:
Size sorting
Threading
Counting
Small world play
Symbolic play
Transporting/Trajectory play
Natural addition to sensory play
Fine motor skills (transferring)
Paint them
Patterning
Want a simple hack to keep your conkers fresher for longer and prevent them from going mouldy? Read this blog post HERE!
Size sorting
Conkers come in such a wonderful variety of shapes and sizes, making them a brilliant resource for sorting - a vital skill for toddlers and preschoolers to begin developing. We began with sorting into big and small, but then added in a medium category too. For older children you could definitely still use conkers but with much more complicated categorisation!
Threading
We bought a palm drill and conker clamp from a brand called Muddy Faces which means that Mr 3 can make holes in the conkers and thread them. I provided both string (with tape around one end which gives a stiff part to thread) and pipe cleaners for him to choose from. You could create little conker caterpillars, necklaces, garlands... or just enjoy the process of threading.
Counting
Natural loose parts are always a lovely resource to use for counting. My Autumn Preschool Guide features lots of ways to work on number recognition and counting - using nature finds like conkers to do this.
Small world play
Natural loose parts are a wonderful addition to small world play. They can be anything! We made an autumnal woodland small world the other day and Mr 3 decided the conkers were stepping stones. The imaginative possibilities are endless... and not just during autumn too!
Symbolic play
If you're not sure what 'Symbolic Play' is... then perhaps give this blog post HERE a read first. But basically it's when children use alternative objects to replaces something they need for their play eg. a wooden block as a phone, pieces of torn up paper as animal food. This week we've used conkers as food for animals - even those who wouldn't normally eat conkers!
Transporting/Trajectory play
Have a child that's working within the 'transporting' or 'trajectory' schema? Conkers are a great medium to do this with! Whether it's rolling them down ramps and chutes, carrying them in little bags or purses from one place to another, hauling them across the garden in a wheelbarrow or throwing them into a target bucket... there are so many ways to use conkes for schema-led play.
Natural addition to sensory play
You can't beat a water tray. Water + children = WINNER. But seasonal water tray play? GORGEOUS! Add in natural loose parts to coloured water for a wonderful tactile and sensory-filled play experience. If you're wanting to uplevel this play and learn what questions and resources to use to make it a purposeful learning activity, then check out my Autumn Play Guide!
Fine motor skills
Through transferring conkers, whether using hands, tongs, spoons or other means, your child can develop their fine motor skills, alongside other skills such as counting and 1:1 correspondence if you add a number element for preschoolers+.
Paint them
Why paint conkers? Because you can! Mr 3 actually came up with this idea himself and it was such a lovely, calm activity to do together. He was so focused and concentrated so hard on covering as much of each of the conkers as he could. Painting on different mediums, instead of just paper, is great for children's creativity. We just used kids washable paint as for us it was just about the process of painting them, but if you used acrylic or a high-quality paint, you could then use multi-coloured conkers for activities like colour sorting too!
Patterning
For older preschoolers and children, patterning is a lovely way to use natural items, especially during autumn when there are so many great things to collect! I've written more about the stages of patterning and how to make it purposeful (+ included free downloads of my patterning cards) in my Autumn Preschool Guide!
I wonder which ideas you'll give a try this autumn. Tag us on Instagram @theknowandplayspace if you do!
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